The Kindness of Strangers (On the Internet)
by Princess Hannah
Summary: Archie and Maxie join a new social media site, rediscover an old favorite TV show from their childhoods, and do what they can to help the troubled youths they encounter along the way. Domestic Hardenshipping. Rated T for discussions of child abuse and suicide.


_A/N: Sometime last year, I saw a great post on Tumblr where someone headcanonned that Steve Rogers was the kind of person who stayed up later on Twitter and sent encouraging notes to people who were depressed and/or considering self-harm. I've had several similar headcanons since then, but this was the one I found myself wanting to explore the most._

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><p>"Hey Maxie, check it out! I finally signed up for a Pokeballer account!"<p>

Maxie looked up from his book on geothermal energy and shot Archie a skeptical look over the rim of his glasses.

"Isn't that that social media website that's supposedly all the rage with the kids these days?"

"You betcha!"

"…You're excited about this un-ironically, aren't you?"

Archie swiveled around in his computer chair. "Oh, come on, Max, it's just harmless fun! Look, all it is is you make a profile and you can make and share posts with all your friends with pictures and video and music…all that kind of stuff. Besides, everyone else is on it so now I can keep up with all my old pals! Here, check out these photos that Matt just posted." He shifted his laptop and Maxie squinted at the screen. Under the username BroSpecial was a series of pictures featuring Archie's old muscle-bound admin at the beach, carrying a surfboard. A couple of them included a slightly disgruntled-looking Tabitha wading into the water with an inner tube. Below the photos was a caption that read "Beach day with ITabitha!" and the tags #newbro and #selfie.

"Hmm," Maxie murmured. "And that's…all it's for?" Archie shrugged.

"Well, you could also just use it as a blog," he said. "Might be nice to have somewhere to type up all your thoughts." Maxie curled the side of his mouth.

"Perhaps," he said. "Well, far be it from me to rain on your parade. Enjoy your new toy." He returned to his book. Archie grinned.

"How about this:" he said. "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle. If I win, you have to at _least_ make an account on Pokeballer and Friend the old gang. You don't have to do anything with it, just…join us. If you win, I promise to never badger you about Pokeballer again." Maxie raised an eyebrow, then smirked. He had to admit, it had been a while since he and his Pokémon had had a good old-fashioned tussle, and the stakes were low enough.

"Alright," said Maxie, "I accept your challenge."

Archie won.

That evening, Maxie sat at his laptop trying to decide on a profile picture. He wanted something distinctive, yet indistinguishable enough as him that other users he didn't know wouldn't know who he was. After several minutes of flipping through digital photo albums, he finally found a winner. It was a picture Archie had taken of him silhouetted against a sunset. Maxie smiled. He was rather fond of this picture. After uploading the photo, he filled out his profile as minimally as possible. He'd considered taking the username TheGreatMaxie, for old time's sake, but quickly opted against it. Instead, he settled on RedRider. Archie was KingOfThaSeas. After finding and Friending ITabitha, LavaLady, BroSpecial, and AquaAlpha, he caved to curiosity and began scrolling down Archie's post feed. The man had obviously been busy on the site that afternoon, since there were considerably more posts than Maxie expected there to be after less than a day of being a member. A lot of it seemed fairly humdrum: responses to blog posts from the admins, nature photos, the occasional funny Skitty video…and then a poster for something Maxie hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Archie?" Maxie called to the next room.

"Yeah?"

"You never told me you watched Hattie Hoothoot's Midnight Adventures as a child."

"Ohhh man, that show was the _best_! You should check out the tag, turns out there's a whole fandom for it on Pokeballer."

"…For an old children's show?"

"Yup! I'm rewatching some old episodes in a livestream with like twenty other people right now. Man, they got away with a _lot_ on this show. You remember the episode where Hattie has to deliver that letter to that guy and it turns out to be a…" But Maxie was already engrossed in the #hattiehoothoot tag. Everyone deserved to indulge in childhood nostalgia every now and then, he supposed.

Maxie managed to pull himself away from the feathered antics an hour later and readied himself for bed. He figured that there was no point in asking Archie if he was coming to bed, resigned to let him wile away a few more hours with his newfound squad of friends from the livestream. They said their goodnights and Maxie went off to go sleep, while Archie babbled on with the younger users about what it was like growing up with Hattie after school every day, and reminiscing about first-time viewings with users his own age. He wound up Friending over half of them on Pokeballer before finally turning in for the night.

A week later, life went on as usual, only now with the addition of Archie spending several hours a day hanging out on Pokeballer. Maxie managed to limit his own time, since he was more interested in trekking through the tags of his various interests than making new Friends. Archie, on the other hand, chugged merrily along with his newfound online companions.

One night, Archie was doing one final sweep of his newsfeed when something unusual caught his eye. It was a post from a user called ChimneyTops. Archie didn't know very much about ChimneyTops offline. He knew that they were a good deal younger than Archie and hadn't grown up with Hattie Hoothoot, but they had started watching the show from the beginning after the livestream and made regular blog posts about it, with the occasional short piece of fanfiction. Archie followed them for the joyful fascination of seeing some young person out there discovering a childhood gem of his for the first time, although they hadn't actually talked to each other much. This post was most definitely not one of ChimneyTops' First Time Viewing blogs.

"Sometimes I really do just want to die." #suicide #depression #needtofindsomethingpainless

Archie wasn't sure if he was horrified or confused. Want to die? Why would anyone want to do that? Especially someone so young? He went to ChimneyTops' page and clicked his #depression tag. A whole history opened up before him, all posts from before Archie had joined the site. Before ChimneyTops had written about Hattie Hoothoot, they had vented extensively about mental illness. Paragraphs upon paragraphs and posts upon posts about crying spells, days of skipping school, and at least one hospitalization.

And there were barely any notes.

Archie checked the posts to see if the notes contained any words of encouragement, any reassurance, anything. They all were, but the most Archie found on a single post was only three. He had to do something.

"Archie, are you coming to bed?" came a voice behind him. Archie jumped slightly, so fixated on this new dilemma that he'd forgotten Maxie was even in the house.

"I can't," he said. "Not yet. There's something important I have to do first. I might be a while." Maxie was about to comment that he'd been up late on Pokeballer nearly every night for days and he should really be getting more sleep instead of trundling away on the internet, but Archie's face carried a sense of urgency. Whatever he was dealing with right now, Maxie figured, he must mean it when he says it's important. Maxie nodded.

"Alright," he said, "I'll see you in the morning, then." Maxie walked off to their bedroom as Archie turned back to the screen. He went straight to the Pokeballer messenger system and started typing.

"Hey Tops, I saw your post and looked back at your old stuff and realized I had no idea what you were going through. I don't know if you remember me, but I was in the Hattie Hoothoot livestream a couple weeks ago. I really love your writing and I was wondering if you just…wanted to talk? This might sound weird, but I've actually never met anyone with depression before and I just don't get why anyone would want to take their own life. So…yeah, my inbox is open if you need me and I'm usually available on Chat if you want to talk in real time. Hang in there, kiddo. –Seas"

A few minutes later, he got a ping on Chat.

ChimneyTops: hi seas

KingOfThaSeas: Hey kid, how're you feeling?

ChimneyTops: hell if I know anymore

ChimneyTops: btw I got your message

ChimneyTops: Thanks

KingOfThaSeas: No problem

ChimneyTops: I still want to die tho

KingOfThaSeas: Why?

ChimneyTops: Read my depression tag

KingOfThaSeas: I did

ChimneyTops: then you should know

KingOfThaSeas: I don't though.

KingOfThaSeas: Here's the thing

KingOfThaSeas: I love life. I love life a lot. Life is for doing things. It's for creating and traveling and seeing and…well…being.

KingOfThaSeas: I don't understand depression very well so I don't understand how it could make someone want to stop living. Especially someone your age.

KingOfThaSeas: You've got so much living left to do.

ChimneyTops: okay but wow you really don't understand

ChimneyTops: I literally can't

ChimneyTops: it is literally impossible for me to see anything in my future

ChimneyTops: because I'm at war with my mind 24/7

ChimneyTops: and you said you've never met anyone with depression before but you probably have

ChimneyTops: because we get told so much that it's all in our heads and we just need to stop being sad that we get really good at acting like we're fine

ChimneyTops: and it's just so hard

ChimneyTops: and I'm so tired

ChimneyTops: and I want the screaming in my brain to stop

KingOfThaSeas: oh man Tops

KingOfThaSeas: look

KingOfThaSeas: I can't pretend I can take all of your problems away or make you better

KingOfThaSeas: although I wish I could

KingOfThaSeas: but I can't just sit back and let a young light put itself out

KingOfThaSeas: I'm no therapist, but I do want to help you

KingOfThaSeas: Are you getting any support now?

ChimneyTops: not really

ChimneyTops: my parents don't think it's real, they just think I'm being a big baby

ChimneyTops: even after I went to the hospital

KingOfThaSeas: good arceus

KingOfThaSeas: ChimneyTops, your problems are SO valid

KingOfThaSeas: No one should be crying foul on someone who says they want to kill themselves

ChimneyTops: i

ChimneyTops: I think you're the first person to ever say that to me

ChimenyTops: even the doctor just said I had a panic attack

ChimneyTops: oh and my name's Karl

KingOfThaSeas: Nice to meet you Karl, I'm Archie.

They stayed up chatting long into the night, Archie letting him let out all of his fears and frustrations while giving the occasional positive reinforcement. Archie tried not to overdo the "you deserve to live" mantra, as that seemed to make Karl a bit more upset. But he couldn't help wondering: did Karl have a plan? Had he been getting ready to end his own life that night and it was only Archie's message that was keeping him alive? Was there a razor blade or a noose or a bottle of pills just beyond the chat box, waiting?

KingOfThaSeas: Karl, you don't have…you know…a plan, do you?

ChimneyTops: I don't really want to think about it right now

They seemed to be moving in the right direction. 4 AM approached and Karl finally said that he should probably be getting to bed.

ChimneyTops: hey Archie

ChimneyTops: umm listen

ChimneyTops: Thank you

ChimneyTops: Really, thank you so much

ChimneyTops: I don't think anyone's ever listened to me like that before

ChimneyTops: I actually feel better :)

ChimneyTops: well not like completely better-better

ChimenyTops: but I don't feel like I want to die right now

KingOfThaSeas: I'm so glad :)

KingOfThaSeas: You go out there and take on the world, kid

KingOfThaSeas: and I'll still be here anytime you need to talk

KingOfThaSeas: (and I'm looking forward to your next Hattie post. If you're where I think you are, you're just about to hit one of the weirdest episodes of the whole show)

ChimneyTops: thanks I look forward to watching it :)

ChimneyTops: Gnight Archie!

KingOfThaSeas: Sleep well, Karl

Archie finally shut his computer down and went off to join Maxie. Tossing his sweater and jeans aside, he crawled into bed next to his partner who was stirred awake slightly by the sudden movement of the bed.

"Mmmnnm…good grief, Archie, what took you so long?"

"Tell you about it in the morning," said Archie, reaching up and kissing Maxie gently on the forehead before snuggling up to him and wrapping an arm around his torso. They both slept soundly.

The next morning, Archie explained everything to Maxie while he made them both a large pile of pancakes.

"You know, Max, I just can't help wondering," Archie mused as he began loading Maxie's plate. "How many other people like Karl do you think are out there on Pokeballer, or other sites? How many others are using the internet as a void to scream into with no idea if anyone'll even hear them?" Maxie fiddled with his fork anxiously, stopping only when Archie handed him his plate. "You should really do the same sometime. If you see someone on Pokeballer who sounds like they're in trouble, you should reach out to them." Maxie furrowed his brow.

"But…Archie, we don't even know these people," he said. "We're just text and a profile picture to them. Besides, are you sure these children's parents would really approve of them talking to thirty-something strangers on the internet?"

"Maxie, I'll be frank," said Archie, finishing loading his own plate and putting the spatula down. "I get the feeling that these kids who really need us have parents who could care less. And not all of them are kids. But yes, I want to be sensitive to kids' comfort levels. If they don't want me talkin' to them because of my age, I'll stop." Maxie took a tentative bite of pancake and tried to figure out how best to change the subject to something less uncomfortable.

"So you seem to have become quite a father figure in the Hattie Hoothoot fandom, at least," he said. "Any more livestreams in the future? I might actually like to join in on the next one."

"Oh sure!" said Archie. "We're doing another one tomorrow night. It's probably gonna be the end of season two."

"Which one was that again?"

"The one with the cliffhanger where Hattie doesn't make it home before sunrise." Maxie winced.

"Oh goodness," he said, "I think I may have blocked that one out of my memory."

"What? That was a _great_ episode!"

"It was a Pokémon lost and far from home and I was…a very…sensitive child…" Maxie blushed, shoveling the last pancake into his mouth and averting his gaze. Archie just smiled.

"Hey, have I ever judged you for cryin'?"

The livestream happened just as planned and Archie and Maxie decided to make a night of it. The episodes in question were actually a lot scarier than the two remembered, featuring a house full of Ghost Pokémon who all remembered how they died, an attack by living cutlery, and a witch with no eyes who captured Hattie and her friends and tried to turn them into stew. There were multiple capslocked messages from other users along the "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS WAS A KID'S SHOW" vein, but it wasn't until the ending that Maxie started to get noticeably agitated. Along came the final shots of Hattie scrambling along a tree branch and looking in horror at the rising sun, whimpering "Oh no, how will I ever get home now?", before the credits rolled. Maxie let out a strangled noise akin to an Aerodactyl, before blurting out "I AM A GROWN MAN, WHY AM I STILL SO INVESTED IN THIS DAMN OWL?" Archie laughed.

"Ehhhh, don't worry about it! She's just fine in the end, remember?"

"Yes, but this episode aired in the spring and they didn't start season three until the fall! That's _five whole months_. Don't you remember how hard it was to wait _five whole months_ for something as a child?!" Archie made a strange combination of smiling and nodding solemnly.

"Yep," he said, "those were the days."

Archie stayed on to chat with the other people in the livestream for a bit, while Maxie moved back to his own computer. He delved into the #hattiehoothoot tag again, just to browse around a bit, and the very first post that showed up on the feed was one of the most exquisite pieces of fan art Maxie had ever seen. It was a stained-glass style group shot of Hattie and all her friends, plus a few major supporting characters, and Maxie would be damned if it didn't look exactly like real glass. The artist was a user called StarlightPooch, which Maxie assumed was a reference to the shiny Poochyena named Starlight from the show. Never let it be said of Maxie that he wasn't an appreciator of fine art, so he reblogged it with the comment "absolutely exquisite!" and continued on his way through the tag. Before he knew it, several hours had passed and he'd wound up making several new Friends. Most of them were relatively passive affairs, Maxie saw they posted good content and decided to Friend them, but one of them actually got in touch through his inbox. It was a user called TowerFever.

"Hi Red! Saw you posted lots of great Hattie Hoothoot stuff and thought I'd Friend you. BTW, this might seem like an odd question, but your profile says you're in Hoenn, right? Have you ever been to Mauville City to see Square Tower? I'd really like to go someday. Have a good day!"

Maxie smiled at the sweet innocence practically dripping off the screen and decided to respond right away.

"Hello Tower. Yes, I am indeed in Hoenn, although I live just outside of Lilycove City. I have not been to Mauville recently, but I have seen Square Tower. If I may ask, is your interest in Square Tower the reason behind your username? A pleasure to meet another Hattie fan."

The reply came about five minutes later.

"Well kinda. I'm in Kalos and i'd really love to see Lumiose City and Prism Tower one day but i can't travel. So i collect figurines of it instead. Someone saw my collection once and said i had tower fever, so…yeah. Is Lilycove interesting? What's the weather like in hoenn? What exactly do you do? Who's your favorite Hattie character?"

Maxie raised an eyebrow at the continued deluge of questions, but figured they were harmless enough that there was no problem in indulging the curious internet-goer. He said that Lilycove was quite an interesting place, that Hoenn was mild and mostly sunny year-round, that he was a researcher studying geothermal energy, and that his favorite Hattie character was a tie between Starlight and Old Lady Audrey, the grandmotherly woman who lived in a cottage in Hattie's woods and was the show's only human character. They went back and forth for a while, talking about Hoenn and of course Hattie Hoothoot, to the point where Maxie figured it might be easier to switch over to Chat. But by that point Tower said they had to go to bed, so they said their goodbyes and left Maxie chuckling to himself. What a sweet inquisitive…he assumed they were young…person. He was beginning to understand more and more what Archie saw in this place.

The days went by and Maxie began to spend more and more of his time on Pokeballer being social instead of just browsing. TowerFever regularly sent him questions, usually with at least one relating to "do you think so-and-so about Square Tower or Prism Tower?" He wound up Friending StarlightPooch and got to give his compliments on their art more directly. As it turned out, StarlightPooch had quite a collection of drawings and digital paintings, some of it rather…visceral. Maxie wasn't sure what to make of the first time he saw some of their more graphic Hattie fan art. None of it involved the main characters getting hurt, but they depicted Hattie's normally innocent but mysterious woods as a place of dark foreboding and terror where you could encounter rotting corpses and murderers with bloody knives. One night, he decided to ask about it.

"Hello Starlight. As you know, I'm a tremendous admirer of your art, and I was just curious as to what compels you to explore so much of the darker side of Hattie Hoothoot?"

He received a reply an hour later.

"Hey Red. To be completely honest, a lot of it is just to vent. I know Hattie is technically for kids younger than me, but I really like that it has that darker edge to it. It's my chosen medium, if you will. Besides, it's better for me than the alternative. Thanks again for all your nice compliments, by the way, it really means a lot!"

Maxie furrowed his brow. "Better than the alternative?" He couldn't tell what it was, but something about that comment really rubbed him the wrong way. He brought Archie over.

"Your intuition with online friends is far better than mine," said Maxie. "What do you make of this?"

"They vent artistically because it's better for them than the alternative…" Archie mused. "Yeah, it does sound like somethin' else might be going on."

"Do you want to try talking to them?" asked Maxie. "After that incident with Karl, I would go so far as to say this may be an area of expertise for you." Archie stroked his beard.

"Aww dang," he said. "I'd love to, but if this is StarlightPooch, I think they've blocked me?"

"Blocked you? For what?"

"We got into one heck of an argument about that banned episode. They loved it and didn't take too kindly to me being offended by it."

"…You mean the barbeque episode?"

"Yup. I'm just sayin', there's a big difference between satirizing the Pokémon farming industry and telling kids that cannibalism is okay." Maxie sighed.

"Well then," he said, "I suppose I'll have to ask them myself."

"Good luck," said Archie. "I think I'm gonna take the team out for a quick stroll before that storm sets in."

"Have a good time," said Maxie. He went back to StarlightPooch's page and, seeing that they were online, opened up Chat.

RedRider: Hello Starlight, I got your response and I was a bit curious/concerned with your mention of "better than the alternative."

RedRider: Is there…something going on at home?

It took a few minutes for them to respond but:

StarlightPooch: Yeah my parents are just terrible people

RedRider: How so?

StarlightPooch: They don't care about me

StarlightPooch: Sometimes I think they forget I'm even here

StarlightPooch: and no they didn't get me the graphics tablet I use to make all my art

StarlightPooch: I had to win it in an online giveaway

StarlightPooch: They don't even know I do art

RedRider: Ah, I understand

RedRider: My parents were like that too

StarlightPooch: One time they "accidentally" left me at a Contest Hall and didn't come back to get me for like 5 hours

StarlightPooch: I think they were trying to abandon me

RedRider: My parents barely raised me.

RedRider: They spent most of my infancy leaving me in the care of a Numel.

RedRider: Well, what little of it I remember.

StarlightPooch: Yooooo

RedRider: Their attitude towards household Pokémon was very strange.

RedRider: That Numel evolved into a Camerupt when I was a small child and when I was 13, he died.

RedRider: He was my best friend.

RedRider: Well, my only friend.

RedRider: On one hand, my parents had him buried in the family plot, but just out of custom.

RedRider: On the other hand, the only thing they did to console me about it was "oh just get him another one."

RedRider: To this day, I don't know whether or not my parents understand that Pokémon aren't toys.

StarlightPooch: Yooooooooooooo

StarlightPooch: How did you survive that?

RedRider: Just barely.

RedRider: I left it far behind as soon as I was old enough.

StarlightPooch: Yeah I know that feel man

StarlightPooch: But I don't even have any Pokémon

StarlightPooch: Mom and dad don't like them, they won't even let me go near one

StarlightPooch: They'd probably flip if they knew I was even watching Hattie Hoothoot.

StarlightPooch: Or maybe they wouldn't care, who knows

RedRider: Hmm…

RedRider: Do you have anywhere you can go to get away from home?

StarlightPooch: You mean other than school?

StarlightPooch: Not really

RedRider: I can link you to the place I went when I was having your trouble, if you like.

StarlightPooch: Is it in Dewford?

RedRider: …Umm, no, I'm afraid it's west of Fallarbor Town.

StarlightPooch: Ah. Probably won't help me much then ^^;

StarlightPooch: But thanks

RedRider: Of course.

At that moment there was the loud crashing from the front of the house, the sound of the door being blown open by both Archie and the storm outside.

"Maxie, we've got a rescue!" he called from the front door.

RedRider: Afraid I have to go, Seas just brought home another stray.

StarlightPooch: Oh neat, I didn't know you guys lived together

RedRider: Oh it's more than that

RedRider: Take care

Maxie closed his computer and went to join Archie, who was carrying a quivering furry black lump in his arms.

"A Poochyena?" asked Maxie.

"Yup," said Archie. "Mightyena found 'im huddling by the side of the house just before we came in. Poor little guy. I think one of his legs is busted, he was walking with a limp."

"I'll fetch a Super Potion," said Maxie.

The Poochyena healed up quickly and, as was usually the case with Archie, he couldn't bear to let it go right away. And so the pup became a new member of the household, usually resting in Archie's lap as he did work or hung out on Pokeballer. The three of them wound up gathering together for the next Hattie Hoothoot livestream one afternoon, which featured a couple episodes that focused on Old Lady Audrey. One of them was commonly cited as the big tearjerker of the series, as it laid out Audrey's backstory: originally a seaside girl, she befriended all sorts of Water Pokémon, and her best friend was a Wailmer named Walter. When she was older, she married a handsome sailor. But the sailor turned out to be a man who was cruel to Pokémon, and worked on a ship that secretly hunted Wailords for their meat and blubber. Devastated, Audrey fled to go live alone in the forest, to be as far away from the sea as possible. The closing shots showed Walter, now a Wailord, braying mournfully against the full moon, waiting for his friend who would never return. Archie had gone through nearly a full box of tissues by the end.

"A woman who ran away from the ocean…no wonder she was your favorite character…" he mumbled through muffled sobs. Maxie gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Actually I just liked her because I wished I could have her for a mother instead of my own," he said. "You want me to get you some of that ice cream you like?" Archie nodded fervently. Maxie strode into the kitchen and opened up the freezer. "We seem to be out. I'll run and get you some more, won't be thirty minutes."

"Okay," Archie sniveled. "Thanks, Max."

Archie's favorite ice cream was Salted Caramel, so Maxie got him a small tub of it, just to be safe. Maxie didn't fancy himself to have much of a sweet tooth, but there was something about that Chocolate Fudge Brownie that caught his eye, so he got himself a pint of that too. Archie seemed to be his usual self again by the time Maxie got back, tapping away at the keyboard and chatting with other folks in the livestream. Leaving him with the tub of Salted Caramel, Maxie retreated to his own computer to check Pokeballer. He was surprised to find that he had a slew of new messages.

The surprise turned quickly from curiosity to horror. They were all from TowerFever.

"Red do my questions bother you?"

"Am I annoying?"

"Do you hate me?"

"Am I worthless?"

"Everyone tells me I'm worthless and annoying"

"I'm worthless"

"I knew you hated me"

"Goodbye"

Maxie's first instinct was to immediately reply to the messages, telling Tower that he didn't think they was annoying and certainly didn't think they were worthless, but there was something about the "goodbye…" Instead, he clicked over to Tower's main page. The top post was a note accompanied by a picture of a sad-looking red haired boy.

"Dear pokeballer,

i'm sorry, but i have to go. And i don't mean i'm leaving the site, i mean it's time for me to die. Because i've known the truth for years: i'm worthless and annoying and i'm no good to anyone. If i was, i'd have friends. real friends. I know my parents don't want me alive. They told me years ago that i have something called "high-functional autism" and that it made me really hard to raise. One time mom kicked me and said she was sorry she had me and she's right. Today mom and dad took away my tower collection. and no one replied to my messages so. I guess this is it. I'm off to the beaches at muraille coast one last time.

Dan "Towerfever" Addison

Age 14"

Maxie's segment of the Hattie Hoothoot fandom was in a panic. Posts were flying around desperately trying to pinpoint Dan's location, trying to see if there was someone nearby who could go and stop him in person. He mentioned Muraille Coast…was he from Ambrette Town or Cyllage City? Was he going to drown himself? He'd only made the post about a half-hour ago, was there still time? Maxie frantically signal boosted every post he could, including a few from some Kalos-based Hattie fans with Flying Pokémon who might be able to reach the area in time.

Finally, word came in from a user called SuperAerialAce who had arrived on the scene with two other concerned citizens.

"Guys we found him and called an ambulance. He's not breathing. there's blood everywhere Oh arceus I think he jumped…"

The two other users posted to confirm. They kept updating when the ambulance finally arrived and the EMTs declared Dan dead at the scene, adding one last photo of the ambulance leaving the beach.

Archie dropped his ice cream tub as the house was shaken by Maxie's tremendous roar of anguish.

* * *

><p>Maxie had been utterly inconsolable for nearly three days, and Archie had no idea what to do to help him. The first night, Maxie wouldn't even let Archie touch him, choosing to sleep out on the couch. Even then, Archie was pretty sure Maxie hadn't slept at all. The next day, Maxie had holed himself up in Archie's exercise room and gave the punching bag what sounded like a good five-hour pummeling. All Archie could hear from within was furious grunting, shouting, weeping, and the occasional "HE WAS ONLY FOURTEEN." The day after, Maxie didn't even bother getting out of his pajamas, opting instead to load up a giant tray of food from the kitchen and lock himself away in his office. It was now late afternoon and Archie was doing some reading up on the latest in the suicide case. Apparently the Pokeballer users who had found Dan's body had alerted the police to his suicide note, and now the Addisons were in for questioning about the harmful treatment of their son. Well, at least it looked like things might be moving towards some sort of closure. Archie sighed. He wasn't sure if he should make a note letting people know that Maxie was okay, he was just really upset about Dan's suicide, figuring it might be more appropriate for Maxie to explain everything himself.<p>

Suddenly he heard a door open behind him and Maxie stepped out. He looked awful, obviously having not had a proper night's sleep recently, and was gazing out at nothing in particular with swollen red eyes. His hair was in shambles and he smelled faintly of the large bag of Sour Cream and Onion chips he'd downed in the past hour. Archie swiveled around on the sofa to face him. Maxie took a deep shuddering breath.

"I tried to kill myself on my fourteenth birthday," he began. "My parents and I were in Unova…not for a birthday trip, we just happened to be there on my birthday. It was only a few weeks after Cammy had died, and just one week after my parents had given me a new Camerupt. My best friend was gone and their response was 'oh just get him another one.' But I wanted nothing to do with it. It wasn't Cammy. It wasn't the friend who half-raised me. But my parents didn't care as long as it shut me up for two minutes. On the night of my birthday, I snuck out of our hotel room in Driftveil and went across the Driftveil Drawbridge. I was going to jump that night…but someone stopped me. Not a doctor, not a police officer, just a random passerby who saw a fourteen year old boy standing on the edge of a tall bridge. He ran over and asked me why I wanted to kill myself, and I said it was because my parents didn't care about me and would probably be glad that I was gone. He stood there talking to me for nearly an hour and eventually…I think he guilted me out of jumping. Noticed that I still had my Pokeballs on my belt and did I really want to take them down with me. Well…after that, I just couldn't do it. Cammy was already dead, and suddenly I couldn't bear the thought of having another dead Pokémon at my side. So the man offered me his hand and I finally came down. And then I started running. Didn't even thank him, just kept running. I ran all the way to Nimbasa City. Finally worn out, I cried myself to sleep on a park bench. Police woke me up the next morning and took me in to the station. They called my parents and they came and got me an hour later. They _said_ they were worried sick about me, but as soon as we were out of sight of the police station, mother slapped me and called me an ungrateful brat. Once we returned home, they took me to a doctor to get me 'fixed,' and he put me on medication. I didn't know at the time how many different kinds of medication there are out there, so I thought this was the only stuff that would make me feel any better. Well, I felt less suicidal, but I was so much angrier and barely had any appetite anymore. I've told you about my brief bullying phase at school? That was around this time. A year later I finally ran away from home for good, stayed at a youth center, eventually found a different doctor, and she put me on better medication. I wasn't as angry and I finally started eating again, but I think there's a certain bitterness in my heart that no pills could ever cure." He took a few steps closer and faced Archie properly at the front of the couch.

"…I know what you're probably thinking," he continued, a single tear rolling down his face, "why was I so reluctant to extend my hand to the troubled youths of Pokeballer after going through that? Because I honestly didn't think a faceless voice on the internet would be any substitute for a real, physical person holding out a real, tangible hand to bring you down from the edge of a bridge. But…the more I think about Dan…the fact that he was crying out to _me_…I could have saved him, Archie…I just…I just went to the store! If I hadn't been out getting us that stupid ice cream…I…_he needed me and I wasn't there!_ This was the _first time_ he'd ever shown any signs of anything being wrong at home and _I wasn't there!_ You're some kind of miracle worker and I'm _USELESS!_" The tears were flowing freely now as Maxie slumped over onto the couch and curled himself up into a ball. Archie reached over and pulled him into a tight hug, stroking his back and frantically searching for the right thing to say.

"Hey," he said at last, kissing Maxie gently on the top of his head. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know. And I'm no miracle worker, I just made someone less sad one time. We're not professionals. We can't know everything that's going on in a person's life or in their heads. I can't claim to be able to prevent someone from killing themselves just by talking to them, neither of us can, as much as we'd like to. We can just hope we're making things a little better for them. Speaking of which, why don't we get you to bed? C'mon, I'll help you get a good night's sleep." Archie half-carried the still-weeping Maxie back to their bedroom and got him under the covers, kicking off his own slippers and sliding in with him. The larger man held his red-haired partner close as Maxie wrapped his own arms around him, sobbing quietly into his neck.

"Oh Maxie," said Archie, running fingers gently through the other man's hair, "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that on your own. Someone should've been there for you."

"I had my new Camerupt and that was about it," said Maxie. "There was a certain bond that formed between us after that near-death experience. I guess that's how we eventually achieved Mega Evolution together."

"Maxie, I…listen," Archie was starting to fumble over his own words, a single tear of his own escaping him, "I am…_so proud of you _for making it to today. You're my earth and sea and sky, and I'm grateful for every day that you're here. So p-please don't go anywhere, okay?" Maxie smiled for the first time in two days.

"Archie, you needn't worry about that, ever," he said. "I haven't wanted to end my life in nearly twenty years, and I certainly don't have any reason to now."

"Good," said Archie, "because I don't know what I'd do then. All I can do is…" he squeezed Maxie even tighter, "love you as hard as I possibly can and hope that's enough!" Maxie actually chuckled.

"It's enough, Archie," he said. "It's more than enough. Thank you. Really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Actually…" Maxie scooted downwards a few inches and laid his head against Archie's muscular chest.

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to hear your heartbeat."

Archie smiled. "Of course, anytime." Eventually the two drifted off into peaceful slumber, awakened in the morning by the jolly barking of the new puppy. Archie offered to make Maxie a full breakfast with bacon, eggs, toast, the works. While he was cooking, Maxie padded over to his computer to let Pokeballer know where he'd been the past several days. There were a couple kind notes of concern in his inbox, which he promptly replied to before noticing a brief message from StarlightPooch. Once he read it, he kicked himself for not responding to it first.

"I think I need the name of that place after all. Oh arceus I don't know how much longer I can stay here. How do I even get out of here oh crap."

Maxie rushed over to StarlightPooch's page and, sure enough, there was a note detailing their new predicament.

"Guys, I need your help. My parents found out about my Hattie Hoothoot stuff and took away my tablet and computer. They looked really pissed. They don't know I have the Pokeballer app on my PokeNav Plus, so that's all I've got right now. I seriously need to get out of here, I don't know what they'll do to me next. They won't let me leave the house…"

There was a small slew of notes on the post, most of them frantically wishing they could do something, but a couple suggested sneaking out at nightfall. Maxie was about to reply with the name of his old youth center, but that was practically on the other side of Hoenn. As he mused furiously, the Poochyena pup ran up to him and began pawing at his leg, demanding attention. Sighing, Maxie scooped it up and put it on his lap…before inspiration struck. Seeing that StarlightPooch was still online, he quickly opened up Chat.

RedRider: Got your message and read your post.

RedRider: I think I have an idea.

StarlightPooch: Holy crap you're a lifesaver

StarlightPooch: tell me

RedRider: You said you didn't have any Pokémon, but I can send you a couple of mine.

Maxie called to the kitchen: "Archie! I think I've found an owner for our little pooch friend!"

"What?"

"Sorry it's so sudden, but it's an emergency!"

RedRider: I have a Crobat. It's a Flying Pokémon and it should be able to carry you to the Meteor Falls Youth Center outside of Fallarbor Town.

RedRider: They took good care of me when I ran away from home.

RedRider: I'm also sending along that stray Poochyena from the other day. I think it'll make a loyal companion.

RedRider: Now where exactly do you live?

StarlightPooch: It's a house on the north shore of Dewford, the only one with a green roof

StarlightPooch: My room is the window with the red curtains

StarlightPooch: It's actually really cloudy here today so my parents might not see me flying off

StarlightPooch: Thank you so much Red oh man

RedRider: Of course. I'll send help right away.

Maxie ran to the back of the house and called his Crobat, which swooped down and looked at him inquisitively.

"Alright, listen up," said Maxie. "I have a very important mission for you. There's a child in Dewford Town who needs your help. They live in a house on the north shore, with a green roof, in a room with red curtains on the windows. They…hang on…" It suddenly occurred to Maxie that he had no idea what StarlightPooch looked like in person. He brought Crobat back to the computer and went back to Chat.

RedRider: So sorry for asking, but what exactly do you look like? Just so Crobat knows it's getting the right person.

RedRider: Are you a boy or a girl?

StarlightPooch: Umm…I guess neither.

StarlightPooch: I have brown hair with green highlights and I'm wearing jeans with a pink tanktop.

StarlightPooch: I'm also really skinny.

RedRider: Thanks

He turned back to his Crobat. "You're looking for a child with brown hair and green highlights, dressed in jeans and a pink tanktop. Take them to the Meteor Falls Youth Center west of Fallarbor Town. Do you know where that is?" Crobat nodded. "Alright, excellent." Maxie turned his attention to the Poochyena, which was sitting as his feet and wagging its tail patiently. "And as for you," said Maxie, "I believe I've found a forever-friend for you." The Poochyena sat up and wagged its tail more fervently as Maxie withdrew an empty Pokeball from a drawer. "Archie! Last chance to say goodbye to our guest!" Maxie saw his Crobat off safely, flying into the distance with the Poochyena's Pokeball in its mouth. He waited until the large bat was out of sight before going back inside and partaking of Archie's excellent breakfast. He just wished he could be eating it under less stressful circumstances.

"We're skipping a few episodes in the next Hattie Hoothoot livestream," said Archie that afternoon. "Out of respect for Dan."

"Why?" said Maxie. "What's wrong with the next few episodes?" Archie's face darkened.

"It's the end of season four," he said. "The one where…"

"Oh, right…" said Maxie, his face dropping. "The season finale where Old Lady Audrey dies." Archie nodded.

"We're doing the first few episodes of season five in an hour or so," he continued. "Why don't you join us?"

The fifth season of Hattie Hoothoot had turned out to be its last. There was discussion in the livestream about how the ratings had dropped after Old Lady Audrey died, and how it eventually led to the show's cancellation. They continued late into the night, as what was supposed to be just a few episodes turned into watching the entire season. The final episode was a bit of a controversial one, because it ended with Hattie being captured by a Trainer. She was a Lass and didn't seem interested in putting Hattie through any kind of nose-to-the-grindstone training regimen to eventually take on the Pokémon League. The last scene showed the Lass and Hattie outside of a Pokémon Center as the Lass introduced herself as Stacy.

"Now, what should I name you?" Stacy mused. Hattie chirped and began scratching her name into the dirt with her claws. H-A-T-T-I-E. "Hattie?" said Stacy. "That's a lovely name! I think we're going to be great friends!" Hattie gave off a pleased hoot as the camera panned up towards the sunset and the soundtrack built to a dramatic crescendo. Maxie sighed.

"You know," he said, "I'm not entirely sure whether or not that was supposed to be a happy ending."

"Yeah," said Archie. "I remember cryin' the first time I watched this because I didn't know if Hattie was ever gonna see her friends in the woods again. First time Mom ever had to calm me down by telling me it was just a TV show." There was a sudden rattling at the window, and the two looked up to see Maxie's Crobat flapping outside. Maxie rushed to go let it in.

"Mission accomplished? Did you get them there safely?" he asked. The Crobat smiled and nodded, and Maxie heaved a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness. Let me check Pokeballer just to be sure." He dashed over to his computer and logged onto Pokeballer, Archie hovering just behind him. Clicking over to StarlightPooch's page, the first thing they saw was a selfie of StarlightPooch and the Poochyena puppy with the caption "Guys, meet Rider. I named him after RedRider, to whom I owe my safety right now" and the tags #selfie and #veryfirstpokemon!. Now that Maxie could see them properly, he also noticed the cutting scars on their arms. So _that_ was the "alternative" they'd mentioned. The post right below it was a note letting everyone know they were okay, that they'd made it safely to the Meteor Falls Youth Center thanks to RedRider's Crobat, and that they were still working out exactly what to do next. Still, they figured they'd be staying at the center for a while.

"By the way, I was going to make this announcement earlier today, but I didn't think I'd be able to with my tablet gone. But it turns out the Youth Center has this sweet media lab, so I can tell you after all. I've been in talks with ChimneyTops, who you may know as that guy who does the great Hattie reaction posts and fanfics, and we've decided: we're making a webcomic! Yup, the continuing adventure of Hattie Hoothoot and her new trainer will be coming to a website near you sometime next month. We're tentatively calling it 'Hattie Hoothoot's Daylight Adventures', but that may be subject to change. What do you guys think?

Anyway, thanks so much again for all your help and support. Especially you, RedRider, you saved me. Peace!"

Maxie smiled, heaving a bit of a shuddering sigh as he suppressed a sob. Archie put a hand on his shoulder. "See?" he said. "You're not useless. You still made a difference."

"No, that's not important," said Maxie. "What's important is that the kids are okay." Archie chuckled.

"Yeah, about that," he said. "I thought Karl was in high school, but he's actually nineteen. So, not kids. People." Maxie put a hand over Archie's hand.

"And not faceless voids on the internet," he said. "People."

The End


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